Mixtape Review-Politically End Correct by Sy Ari Da Kid x Teauxny

Fans of Sy Ari Da Kid are not in it for the production (typically mid tempo soul sample banger) or wild Jeezy like ad-libs. Sy isn’t trying to make music that plays in the background while you twerk. Those of us that rep his brand do so because he says things no one will. The cover image will tell you that just by showing you a black dude wiping his butt with the American flag (which would be fine but its touching the ground…gotta burn it now, right?). He doesn’t just do a Michael Brown song or Eric Garner dedication; on Current Events he ties all the events together to bring you into the hopelessness of hearing these headlines over and over. The feeling of defeat these tragedies create has never been captured as well on song (that I’ve heard).

On Mirror Music he says something I’ve been saying for years “How you gon’ diss golddiggers? We all gold digging.” Everything in a Sy verse is in perspective; the tough talk is a dude at the waffle house telling him he’s next. The sex songs always scamper between criticism of the woman involved and himself (“I tell you to shoot for the stars but look how you snorted the gun powder”—Anti Friendzone Interlude). Having released a thousand mixtapes he’s never written a hero in any of them. He’s naturally conversational; the hip hop version of that friend you have who delivers the truth viciously while all your other friends think he’s rude but you need that dude. You need the truth.

He’s certainly not alone. If Sy was the only rapper in this state of mind he wouldn’t be able to string together such massively satisfying posse cuts on ever project. This time its One Life that has a timeless Marvin Gaye sample from I Want You bass’d up and laid smooth (thank you Teauxny)for Sy. The beat switches to something spookier for the guests Bumpy Knuckles, Translee, DaOne, and JID and they all knock it out of the park. Translee’s pinched voice and dazzling word placement perfectly complement Sy’s brash intelligence and Bumpy is Bumpy damn it (“The legacies will never read that rappers was this hard”).

Teauxny does an incredible job at turning minimalism up enough to make it soulful and resonant. Agape is just a single sparkle looped and you can feel it push Sy to deliver a surprisingly complex analysis of love. Teauxny gets Sy in a way I haven’t heard from other collaborative partners. I want this to be part of a longer run of projects they make since they smashed the nail on its head.

Politically End Correct is only nine songs which is smart. Too much of this could wear you down but as it is it’s tight and intense and makes great use of everything that sets Sy apart. If you listen and like what you hear you should follow Sy Ari Day Kid on twitter. He’s as intense about basketball as he is relationships and politics. In fact, to let him tell it…it might all be politics just named different things.